1 Answers
Obesity and the environment aims to look at the different environmental factors that have been determined by researchers to cause and perpetuate obesity. In 1994, in the United States, the percentage of the adult population that was obese was much lower than it is today. In 1994 the percentage of the population in every state that was obese was less than 20%, but by 2008, only one state still had a percentage obese below 20%, six states had a percentage obese of more than 30% while the rest of the states ranged between 20% and 30%.
In 2016 the number of obese people reached an all-time high of about 93 million, which was up 33 percent from 2008, according to the Center for Disease Control. This may be even more concerning for children and teens who have seen their rate of obesity go up to 18.5%, which is triple the rate in 1980. If current trends continue, as many as 57% of them will end up obese by the time, they reach the age of 35. This will put them at higher risk for other health conditions such as, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. In response, both federal and local officials have instituted policies to combat obesity as well as promote healthy eating, such as: The Farm Bill, National School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Act, as well as The Healthy Kid Act.